IEM Katowice 2020 – CS:GO and StarCraft 2 Events

IEM Katowice 2020, an event that’s already famous in the world of esports for what it has to offer: great teams, great matches and unforgettable moments.

IEM Katowice 2020: Basic Information

IEM Katowice 2020 is scheduled to take place between February 24th – March 1st. The CS:GO tournament has a prize pool of $500,000. The one for StarCraft 2 offers “just” $400,000. I say “just” $400,000 because for StarCraft 2, that’s a huge amount. The game has lost much of its popularity since the rise of MOBAs and other genres, so it’s a rare thing these days to have an SC2 event that offers such substantial prizes and $150,000 to the winner.

For CS:GO, the amount is not as spectacular when compared to other esports tournaments, simply because there are around five tournaments each year that offer half a million dollars or more. But it’s still significant and I’m sure that no one will complain.

IEM Katowice CS:GO

The CS:GO competition brings together 16 teams. With few exceptions (if any), all the big names will take part in the event. Here’s a list of them, so you can get a better idea of just how important IEM Katowice World Championship is.

Fnatic

Astralis

mousesports

100 Thieves

Evil Geniuses

Team Liquid

Natus Vincere

Ninjas in Pyjamas

pro

Team Vitality

FaZe Clan

G2 Esports

MAD Lions

Cloud9

Renegades

TYLOO

This lineup is filled to the brim with competitors that could easily win the IEM Katowice 2020 title. Just consider the fact that the top 10 teams in the world at the moment are on the list. Among the important names that are missing are ENCE, Heroic, OG, MIBR, and North.

Groups

Initially, the teams will be divided into two groups. Each of these groups is played in a GSL format (double-elimination) The winners advance to the Semifinals. The 2nd and 3rd place teams advance to the Quarterfinals. All matches are Bo3. This stage lasts from February 24th until February 27th.

Group A:

Astralis vs. Cloud9

NiP vs. Vitality

Na’Vi vs. FaZE

Renegades vs. Fnatic

Group B:

mousesports vs. TYLOO

100 Thieves vs. G2 Esports

Team Liquid vs. Virtus.pro

MAD Lions vs. Evil Geniuses

These are the two groups, their teams and the initial Upper Bracket matches. Based on all the available data, Group A looks much tougher than Group B. No less than five teams have excellent chances not just of qualifying to the Playoffs, but also of winning the group. The other three are Renegades, Cloud9 and NiP, although you could argue that even NiP is a serious competitor with significant chances of advancing.

In Group B, the big favorites are mousesports, Liquid and Evil Geniuses. Other important names that could potentially qualify are 100 Thieves, G2 Esports and Virtus.pro.

IEM Katowice CS:GO Favorites

These are the best teams in the world at the moment: Astralis, mousesports, Liquid, Fnatic, Evil Geniuses. Arguably, the big battle will take place between Astralis, mousesports and Liquid. Although, at this competitive level, if any of these five competitors gets a really good week and shows up in great shape, they could potentially win the event in spite of what the statistics indicate.

Katowice 2020 CS:GO Betting Odds

Prize Distribution

The prize pool will be divided among the 16 teams in the following way:

1st place: $250,000

2nd place: $100,000

3rd – 4th place: $40,000

5th – 6th place: $15,000

7th – 8th place: $7,000

9th – 12th place: $4,000

13th – 16th place: $2,500

IEM Katowice SC2

The StarCraft 2 event of IEM Katowice will bring together 76 participants. However, only the first 60 will be rewarded.

Prize Distribution (Top 16)

1st place: $150,000

2nd place: $65,000

3rd – 4th place: $25,000

5th – 8th place: $10,000

9th – 12th place: $5,000

13th – 16th place: $3,000

Participants

As with any StarCraft 2 event of this level, the large number of participants guarantees that everyone who counts will have a chance to prove themselves, even though the difference in skill between the top 12 and the rest is pretty huge. These are the 12 competitors that are already waiting in the Group Stage:

Dark

PartinG

Stats

Reynor

Rogue

Zest

Elazer

Maru

Solar

Cure

Serral

TY

One thing that’s worth mentioning here is the fact that no less than three foreigners have managed to infiltrate the ranks of South Korean players and all of them play Zerg. In total, among the top 12 players, we have 3 Terrans, 3 Protoss and 6 Zergs. Some might say that this suggests a slight game advantage for the Zerg in the current meta, but it might also be a sign that many of the world’s best players simply prefer this race over the other two. In StarCraft 2, the game itself is quite balanced and it’s only a matter of individual skill. A good Terran player will demolish any Zerg or Protoss player who’s below his level, regardless of what tiny imbalances the races themselves might suffer from.

Group Stage

Keep in mind that the Group Stage (top 24) of the StarCraft 2 tournament of IEM Katowice 2020 is scheduled to start on February 27th. There are four groups in total and only the top 3 teams from each group will advance to the Playoffs. All matches are Bo3. The winners advance to the Quarterfinals. The 2nd and 3rd place competitors advance to the Round of 12.

Playoffs Stage

This stage will be played in a single-elimination format. All matches are Bo5, except for the Grand Final (Bo7).